“Getting rid of the waterlogging problem is not very easy. It doesn’t work if outsiders think the job is easy” he told bdnews24.com in an interview.
After beating BNP-supported the then city M Manjur Alam in the April 2015 election, Nasir had formally taken office nearly three months later, on Jul 26, after the previous administration’s tenure ended.
AJM Nasir Uddin
This rainy season, many areas of the port city were seen waterlogged whenever heavy rains occurred. People in those areas were using the boat for daily commuting. The mayor also visited some areas in knee-deep water recently.On Monday night, when Nasir was giving bdnews24.com this interview, a number of areas of the city were submerged forcing the residents stranded.
The situation has also forced him to defer to Jul 31 a programme that was scheduled for Wednesday on the occasion of his two year anniversary in office.
However, the Awami League leader is not ready to call himself unsuccessful even though there has been no progress in finding a solution of the most vexing problems of the city dwellers in two years.
Nasir, a sports organiser, said, “My tenure hasn’t ended yet. I’m still in the game. You can’t say that (I’m a failure) before the game ends.”
AJM Nasir Uddin
Regarding his electoral pledges, he said, “The campaign was carried out based on the problems the city had at that time to win the voters’ hearts. The waterlogging problem back then was also severe.”The mayor, however, avoided blaming his predecessors who were at the city helm on this issue. “I won’t discuss or criticise the previous ones and what they have done and what they didn’t. The people know, they will judge.”
He also said that along with the authorities, the residents of the city also have roles to play in eliminating the problem.
Nasir pointed out various reasons for waterlogging in different city areas that included above average rainfall, high tide in adjoining river, flash floods, the rise in seawater level and silt at the bed of canals and sewerage drains.
“I have had canals dug as much as I could within my power. But they have filled up again. The water level goes down when I have the canals and drains cleaned, and it’s time for low tide and,” he said mentioning the steps his administration has taken.
AJM Nasir Uddin
But he also said that there was no planned drainage and sewerage system in the city.Emphasising on taking on a realistic, right and long-term plan, Nasir said that any hastily made project could backfire.
“Bringing an end to the waterlogging would be possible if the city corporation and the Chittagong Development Authority make a coordinated plan and implement it together,” he added.
Nasir, also the ruling party’s Chittagong Metropolitan unit general secretary, said that his ‘thoughts’ also changed after he took the mayor’s office.
“There is a difference between what people see from outside and what happens inside (the office). I didn’t know about the inside before. Now I know where the problems are.”
‘People trust me more now’.
AJM Nasir Uddin
Evaluating his successes and failures in the last two years, Mayor Nasir Uddin said, “I don’t want to boast about my successes, and the matter of failure shouldn’t arise at this stage.”“Considering where I started and where I am now – if anyone analysed the information of this time will say that I am in a better position now.”
“I spend time with the people more. They still have faith in me. I would say they trust me more now. I believe those who didn’t vote for me in the last polls will vote for me for sure if an election is held now,” he said.
Nasir claimed that his successes as mayor included improvement and repairing of roads, installing necessary light posts on the streets, improvement in education and health services and removing wastages quickly from city areas.
Reminiscing about the city corporation’s condition when he took charge, he said, “I came in and found out that we don’t have a secretary, chief education officer, chief executive officer, chief revenue officer and chief engineer.“Officials and staff had cases against each other, and there were cases against the city corporation. My biggest challenge was to bring order and keep everything under control. Now, we are at a better stage.”
Claiming the city’s cleanliness situation was better than the past, Nasir said that his administration distributed and installed 800,000 dustbins across the city.
In the end, the mayor expressed hope that he would be able to ‘satisfy’ the people with the services the city corporation provides in the last three years of his term.
Source: bdnews24
